One Year
by KISS1971
Summary: Katherine leaves Mystic Falls in 1864 taking the newly turned Salvatore brothers with her. After years running, scheming & plotting against Klaus, the trio make a stand resulting in Elijah's disappearance, Katherine & Klaus at a stalemate, & Damon returned to a human. Katherine promises to turn him back, but only after he spends a year living in Mystic Falls.Assuredly a Delena Fic
1. Chapter 1: Kismet

**A/N: This AU story is filled with drama, suspence, romance and a touch of humor. There will be lots of plot twists, and nail biting suspense. Oh, did I forget to mention Damon Salvatore is human? Hopefully this little story will be an epic journey.**

Chapter 1: Kismet

One year. Three hundred and sixty five God damned days; and they better damn well be happy it wasn't a leap year. One extra day and he was liable to kill some one just from the sheer frustration of it all. Hell, he was going to kill some one just for the pleasure it would bring him, if he had to stay in this fucking, snobbishly aristocratic town for another minute. Going on a psychotic killing spree would most assuredly get their attention, and they would have to come to Mystic bum fucked Falls to deal with him. But in the mean time he needed a distraction, something or someone to rescue him from the sheer boredom that was now his life.

He looked at the people milling about, average people with their average lives, some eating with friends or family, a few at the bar drowning their dull existence in alcohol, a few more playing pool, and not a single one any more interesting, or more animated than a corpse. His dinner had been more entertaining than the fine, upstanding citizens of Mystic Falls, and that was saying a lot. He didn't belong here, he had never belonged here, not in 1864, and most assuredly not now. They were going to have to come up with a different plan, because there was no way in hell he could do this, not even for one more day, and most assuredly not for a whole fucking year.

Tossing back his whiskey, he slapped a handful of bills onto the bar to cover his tab, grabbed his jacket, and headed for the door. He could go to L.A., or New York, either would offer him the shield of obscurity, without him losing his mind to boredom. They would be put out with him, but at least he wouldn't be leaving a trail of bodies scattered around this stupid little town, and sending the fine folks of Mystic Falls into a frenzy. The thought made him smile as he made his way to the exit, bracing himself for the chilly temperature of a cold December night.

Damon could feel the eyes of several women, and even a few of the men track him as he strode across the room heading for the door. He was often pursued by the fairer sex, regularly subjected to elaborate seduction schemes from women who would do anything to snare a wealthy good looking man. He had also acquired the attention of a few women who were certifiably crazy, and then there were the stalkers. But by far the ones that amused him the most, were the women who said they were pregnant, and claimed he was lucky man who had knocked them up.

As he was leaving the Grille a fight over a game of pool erupted, a couple of jackasses stumbled into him. He turned to scowl at them, but some idiot thought it would be a good idea to throw a punch instead. Bad idea, Damon thought as he blocked the punch, and dropped the guy to the floor with a solid punch to his solar plexuses. And just that quickly, the small confrontation turned into a full on brawl.

He would have loved to stay, the entertainment value alone would have been well worth his time, or maybe the chance to work off some of his frustration, but for once his more rational side reared its sensible head, compelling him to stride out the door, and into something small, soft, and warm. His instincts kicked in, and he wrapped his arms around the smaller body, bringing it close to his chest, protecting it from any injury should they hit the pavement.

As his mind raced to construct a sincere apology, his body registered the soft curves pressed into the hard contours of his body, and it responded as if it had never known the carnal pleasures of the fairer sex. He had only ever reacted like this for one other woman, and even that dulled in comparison to this full on conflagration of desire. Heat poured through him, his heart pounded like a run away train, and his body screamed for a release that could only be sated by driving himself into this woman repeatedly. At least he hoped this was a woman wrapped in his arms, for all he knew he could be holding onto a twelve year old boy, and that just wouldn't do, plus he'd have a devil of a time explaining it to the authorities.

Somehow, he managed to pull back just enough to see the face of the person he was holding. He drew in a sharp breath as he took in her features, as he took in her face, Katherine's face, but not Katherine. He would never mistake this woman for Katherine Pierce. When his eyes met her dark chocolate gaze, he went up in flames, and God in heaven, it didn't help when he saw an answering desire blaze to life in her eyes, and her small hands went from clutching onto him to caressing him, caressing along the sides of his ribcage, over the swell of his shoulders, down the muscled planes of his chest. If she didn't stop touching him, like right this second, there was a good chance he would take her right up against the side of the building, then his car, and then, sweet baby Jesus, his world went absolutely dark when she pulled his head down, and slanted her mouth against his in a hungry kissed that obliterated anything that had come before it.

* * *

She hadn't wanted to go out. Oh she knew they were all excited, everyone back in Mystic Falls after their final year in college, the start to the next chapter in their lives. There had been backyard bar-b-ques, private family celebrations, and now Caroline insisted that it was their turn to party, celebrate like the young adults they were. Meaning, they'd get drunk, get trashed, and get kicked out of every bar in town, then end up at either the Grille, or back at her place.

She had just wanted to stay home, alone, and allow herself to indulge in one of her rare pity parties. Her parents were dead, gone from her life for the past six years, and she had needed them, so many times she had needed them and they weren't there. Oh sure, she had Jenna, her mother's younger sister, and her Uncle John had even become a somewhat tolerable influence in her life, but they still hadn't been able to replace the void her parents' death had left in her life.

Elena had let Bonnie talk her into going out, to put all her cares aside, all her worries aside, and enjoy her friends, her life for this one night. Bonnie pressed her to be spontaneous, let her hair down, get drunk, and shake what the good Lord had given her. The idea of shaking her ass for all and sundry caused Elena to laugh for several long minutes, but in the end she agreed with her best friend that a change, and some ass shaking would do her good. After all, you only had one life, and only one life time in which to live it, so don't let the moment pass you by became Elena's new world view. And just a few short hours later, they were headed into the grille, a little tipsy

They were full from a decadent dinner, and just a wee bit tipsy from one too many glasses of wine as they headed into the Grille. Tyler, Matt, and Elena's younger brother, Jeremy had completely revamped the Grille after having bought the place a few short months ago. They had created a modern, more hip venue for the rapidly growing college, and young adult population of Mystic Falls, and the surrounding counties. In a few short weeks Caroline, Bonnie and Elena would be opening an upscale restaurant to compliment their thriving gourmet food store. Everything wasn't _coming up roses_ in Elena's life; like the fact that things were still tense between her, and Matt, but on the whole, things were beginning to fall into place. One of the last things left on her to do list, find a good looking guy who made her heart race, her blood boil, and had her throwing caution to the wind.

Laughing at something that Caroline was saying about Tyler, Elena reached for the door handle to the Grille, only to have it violently yanked from her grasp, as a dark haired man barreled into her. She had no choice but to grab hold of him, or risk being flung to the ground in his haste to exit the building. She wondered for a very brief moment if the place was on fire, or maybe a former lover's significant other had finally caught up with him. What little she had seen of him before he barreled into her, would make her second guess being with some other guy, if the possibility of being with him was available.

He didn't apologize, or say anything for that matter, as he pulled her closer to protect her should they fall. Elena drew in a deep breath, and the scent of him damn near drove her to the brink of insanity. He smelled of wood, whiskey, and smoke, he smelled like danger, sex, temptation, and sin. When she felt him pull back a little, she instinctively clutched his jacket tighter, not ready to let him go just yet; she might never be willing to let go.

Elena looked at his face, and drew in a sharp breath. This was what the Devil must surely look like, no one would ever mistake him for an angel, except maybe a fallen one. His features were chiseled, ruggedly sensual, his black hair glossy like a raven's wing, and his soot colored lashes shaded a pair of electric blue eyes that burned into her, setting her on fire. Unable to help herself, Elena allowed her fingers to caress up the sides of his rib cage, over shoulders that she had a strong desire to hold onto while in the throes of ecstasy. Of their own volition, her hands continued caressing him, tracing the muscled planes of his chest. She smiled a slow, secret smile as she felt him respond to her petting, and a voice in the back of her head told her there was great pleasure to be had, if she was daring enough. Elena Gilbert decided that she wanted to be daring, she wanted to be pleasured by this fallen angel whose name she didn't even know. Taking her courage in hand, and sending up a small little prayer, to fate, karma, kismet, or whatever force had brought him here, she pulled his dark head down, and slanted her mouth against his in a kiss that could only be described as totally soul consuming.

**A/N: If you have a moment please drop a review and tell me what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2: When We Kiss

**A/N: I must sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter. My wonderful laptop decided that it was no longer willing to function properly and it ended up needing to be replaced. Unfortunately I had been in the process of writing this chapter, and when the laptop stopped working I lost the chapters I had been working. But anyway, here is chapter two. Also, thank you to all those that left a review, or decided to follow this little adventure. Your reviews are what keeps the story going, and I love hearing from anyone reading what they liked or even disliked. So if you have a moment or two, I'd love to read your review.**

Chapter 2: When We Kiss

_Elena looked at his face, and drew in a sharp breath. This was what the Devil must surely look like, no one would ever mistake him for an angel, except maybe a fallen one. His features were chiseled, ruggedly sensual, his black hair glossy like a raven's wing, and his soot colored lashes shaded a pair of electric blue eyes that burned into her, setting her on fire. Unable to help herself, Elena allowed her fingers to caress up the sides of his rib cage, over shoulders that she had a strong desire to hold onto while in the throes of ecstasy. Of their own volition, her hands continued caressing him, tracing the muscled planes of his chest. She smiled a slow, secret smile as she felt him respond to her petting, and a voice in the back of her head told her there was great pleasure to be had, if she was daring enough. Elena Gilbert decided that she wanted to be daring, she wanted to be pleasured by this fallen angel whose name she didn't even know. Taking her courage in hand, and sending up a small little prayer, to fate, karma, kismet, or whatever force had brought him here, she pulled his dark head down, and slanted her mouth against his in a kiss that could only be described as totally soul consuming._

He was on fire. There were no better words to describe what this kiss, with this woman was doing to him. The touch of her lips on his had managed to erase the last 150 years from his life, and made him feel like a schoolboy in the arms of his first crush. He prided himself on his ability to control his baser needs, to take the time, and skill necessary to bring his companion the ultimate in pleasure before allowing the same for himself. Katherine had all but insisted that he hone that particular talent, and there were times when she had been completely unwilling to share him with any other woman. He lost all thought and desire to achieve that particular goal when he felt the cold December air brush across his back, and small warm hands flatten themselves against his abdomen.

Damon lifted his head, his eyes slightly wild as his pulse kicked up another notch, and every cell in his body caught fire. He looked at her face, a face that he already knew so very well, though he was certain Katherine never possessed this woman's air of naivety. The woman in his arms was without guile, she had no manipulative gleam in her chocolate brown eyes, she hadn't spent decades learning how to use her sensual face to get what she wanted. She didn't have Katherine's pension for seductive pouting, and he'd bet everything he owned that she didn't assign a value to the men in her life based on what they were worth to her financially, politically or emotionally. She wasn't Katherine Pierce, she wasn't anything like the woman who held his heart in the not quite safe keeping of her hands.

"I wasn't quite ready for that kiss to end," Elena said, pouting just a bit as she looked up at him. OK, maybe there was a little of Katherine in there he chuckled to himself.

"My apologies," Damon replied brushing her lips softly with his own as he expertly maneuvered her until he had her pined between the brick wall of the grille, and his heavily aroused body.

He chuckled internally when she stopped him from pulling back again to look into her beautiful, dark colored eyes, and then that chuckle rapidly turned into a growl when she nipped his bottom lip so that she could plunge her tongue into the hot recesses of his mouth. He conceded control of the kiss to her as their tongues clashed, as they learned what the other tasted like, felt like. Damon felt himself getting caught up in a decadent haze of desire as her small hands once again touched his bare skin. If she kept touching him like this, petting him like this, making him feel him like this he would die. Oh sure, he'd die happy, but he'd still be dead, and he couldn't be quite sure how Katherine would respond to his death, especially when she learned it came at the hands of another woman, a Petrova doppelganger no less.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Immersed within the sensual haze they had created around themselves, Damon was unaware that they had attracted an audience until some one forcibly yanked her from his arms. It took a few moments before reality managed to burn through his lust filled haze, and allow Damon's mind to focus on the very angry, very hostile young man who had just invaded his personal space.

"Let me guess," Damon said turning his blue eyed gaze to the woman who had just kissed him within an inch of his life. "Jealous boyfriend?"

"Jealous ex-boyfriend," she corrected him with a dazzling smile.

"Well that certainly changes how this is going to play out," he said with a smirk.

"By the way," Damon said casually. "I'm Damon, Damon Salvatore, and you are?"

"Jesus Elena," the angry man exclaimed. "You don't know even know this bastard, but you were letting him kiss you as if you were long lost lovers."

"Actually, I was letting _her_ kiss _me_," Damon interrupted with a mischievous grin, and a flirtatious wink towards Elena. _Elena_, um sweet, fair Elena, he did so like the way her name felt on his tongue, like decadent sinful chocolate, and pure unaltered sweetness.

It was probably not the right thing to say, nor the right time for him to say it. He knew he shouldn't goad a very angry, very jealous ex-boyfriend, who obviously wasn't happy that he was an ex; but Damon just couldn't help himself. Impulse control was by far his greatest weakness, one he had no desire to control, and as far as he was concerned there was no need for him to start any new habits this late in life.

"You think this is a joke?" Angry ex-boyfriend asked him, incredulity blazing in his eyes at Damon's impertinence. "You think you can make light of damn near raping my girlfriend on the street?"

"Matt, that's not what was happening, and I'm no longer your girlfriend," Elena explained as she tugged on his sleeve in an attempt to draw him away. She knew he was having a hard time accepting the end of their relationship, but she wasn't going to let him transfer his anger with her to an innocent party.

"So what you're saying is that since you're not my girlfriend it's OK for you to be mauled by strange men on the street, and I should just accept it, and mind my own damn business," Matt said turning his gaze to Elena.

"Ex-girlfriend, "Damon said pushing himself from the brick wall he had been indolently leaning against. "I believe the young lady Elena has relegated you to the past tense in her life, therefore her honor, which I assure you has not been besmirched in any way, is not yours to avenge."

Elena saw the change in Damon, and though she had just met him, she found that she could read him quite easily. Matt's accusations had touched something within Damon causing his cheeky facade to drop away, and his expression to turn serious. Deadly, violently serious. She could sense the absolute stillness that settled around him, she watched as something dark, something dangerous flared within those electric blue eyes of his. For a handful of seconds she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and an urgent voice in the back of her head was screaming at her to run, run now before it was too late. She instinctively knew she had to get Matt away from Damon post haste. Damon wouldn't hurt her, in fact she was certain that he would go to great lengths to ensure her safety, but Matt wouldn't be so lucky. Matt was the red flag being waved in front of a very irritated, very dangerous animal.

"Matt," Elena cajoled, once again tugging at his shirt to get him to shift his focus to her. "Let's go inside where its warm, and where we can talk privately, I'm freezing, and its starting to snow. Damon didn't hurt me, he wasn't trying to hurt me, so no harm, no foul."

For a brief moment she wasn't sure that Matt had heard her, but he too must have seen something that gave him pause, something that told him his very life could be in danger. She saw him look back at Damon Salvatore one more time, weighing the possibility of being able to best him in a fight. She could have told him it would be folly to go down that particular road, and he must have come to the same conclusion, because he grabbed her hand, and hurried her into the Grille. She had to resist the temptation to pull away from Matt, to go back to the seductive inferno that was Damon Salvatore.

Elena took one last look at him before the door to the Grille closed behind her. She saw the sensual promise of another time blazing within the depths of his blue eyes. She felt the hot caress of those eyes over every inch of her body. She felt the slow burn of desire take root in her veins, and she knew. She knew that whatever this thing was, wherever it was going to take them, it had only been temporarily interrupted, it was nowhere close to being finished. It had only just begun.

* * *

Damon watched Elena walk away and he had to resist the urge to grab her, to bring her back into his arms. He felt that she belonged with him, to him and watching another man lead her away caused a riot of emotions to erupt throughout him. He knew this wasn't the right time, wasn't the right place, so letting her go was the best option for everyone involved. Ex-boyfriend Matt didn't wake up dead in the county morgue, and he didn't end up gracing the inside of a Mystic Falls' prison cell on a murder charge. Yup best option for all of them indeed.

He pulled out his phone, quickly dialed a number, and waited. After the third ring he considered ending the call, when it was answered by his brother's familiar voice.

"You can't possibly be missing us after only two weeks," he heard his brother say by way of greeting.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Damon replied. "But that's not why I called."

"So why did you call?" Stefan asked.

"We have a problem," Damon began.

"You mean other than the fact that you are no longer a blood sucking vampire:" Stefan quipped.

"Yeah other than that," Damon replied snidely. "Let's see what you have to say about this little brother. I just spent the last fifteen minutes in the arms of one beautiful young lady."

"And this would be a problem why?" Damon heard the exasperation his brother's voice.

"Oh," Damon said rather casually. "Did I forget to mention that said young lady is a doppelganger? A Petrova doppelganger to be precise."

The silence that met his statement was so profound had he not been attuned to his brother, he would have believed that Stefan was no longer on the phone. Damon wished that he could see his brother's face, that he could see Stefan's reaction as the words sank in. The silence had stretched on far longer than it should have, and Damon was about to ask his brother if he was still there when Stefan let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I'd say you're right," Stefan said softly. "We most certainly have a problem."


	3. Chapter 3: Burns Like Fire

**A/N: I want to say thank you to everyone who has left a review, favored this story, or just took the time to read it. I love some of the speculation that you have shared with me, and of course more of this little tale will be revealed as we move through the chapters. I usually try to respond to reviews, but I've been really bad lately and haven't responded as much as I would like too, but I will try to do better going forward.**

**This chapter is both a little light-hearted, and little dark, but there are some things about Damon that will need exploring, and there are some differences in his relationship with his brother, and most certainly with Katherine. But enough out of me, please read, and I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 3: Burns Like Fire

"_We have a problem," Damon began._

"_You mean other than the fact that you are no longer a blood sucking vampire:" Stefan quipped._

"_Yeah other than that," Damon replied snidely. "Let's see what you have to say about this little brother. I just spent the last fifteen minutes in the arms of one beautiful young lady."_

"_And this would be a problem why?" Damon heard the exasperation his brother's voice._

"_Oh," Damon said rather casually. "Did I forget to mention that said young lady is a doppelganger? A Petrova doppelganger to be precise."_

_The silence that met his statement was so profound had he not been attuned to his brother, he would have believed that Stefan was no longer on the phone. Damon wished that he could see his brother's face, that he could see Stefan's reaction as the words sank in. The silence had stretched on far longer than it should have, and Damon was about to ask his brother if he was still there when Stefan let out a long, heavy sigh._

"_Yeah, I'd say you're right," Stefan said softly. "We most certainly have a problem." _

"Damn," Stefan swore. "Can't anything with you ever just be normal?"

"Really Stefan," Damon said as he determinedly began walking towards his car.

He didn't want to be walking towards his car at this moment. At this moment what he wanted to be doing was going back into the Grille, finding Elena, and pulling her back into his arms. He already felt bereft without her, already missed the feel of her against him, already missed the taste of her on his lips. For God's sake you stupid idiot, he chided himself. You just met her not even an hour ago, and you're already making a fool of yourself to be near her again. Get a grip Salvatore and get on with it.

"Normal?" Damon asked. "Tell me Stefan, when has anything ever been "normal" in either one of our lives? I mean really, up until a few weeks ago we were 150 year old vampire brothers, and now I'm just a 150 year old man, whose baby brother is still a blood sucking vampire. We aren't normal, we don't do normal, we've never done normal."

"Point taken," Stefan replied on an exasperated sigh. "A little chat with Katherine seems to be in order."

"Yeah good luck with that," Damon said amusement lacing his words. "Nothing with Katherine is ever little, she doesn't understand little."

"And that's why the two of you get along like a house on fire," Stefan retorted, his voice that of a man who was constantly caught between two very dominating personalities.

"Look at you little brother," Damon said as he slide behind the wheel of his car. "So full of colloquialisms tonight. Give Katherine my love, and Stefan I mean that quite literally."

"It will be my pleasure," his younger brother answered, a devilish smile spreading across his angelic face. "And Damon, please try not to draw attention to yourself, well at least not too much attention."

"Well little brother, that particular piece of advise has come a day late and a dollar short," Damon replied as he revved the engine of his Camaro, and roared down Main Street with half the town watching his progression.

He hated small towns, and he hated Mystic Falls, Virginia above all others. He knew he should have burned this town to the ground all those years of ago, if he had he wouldn't be stuck here now. _If you had, burned the town that is, you wouldn't have met the fair Elena;_ that little voice in the back of his head quipped.

* * *

Five days. Five horrendous gut wrenching days. The last five days had been the longest, most God awful days of his life. He hadn't seen Elena since that very first night. The night in which she had managed to get under his skin, and he knew the only way to get her out from under said skin was to have her in his bed. To have her beneath him, to have her straddling him, taking him into her body all night, and then again all day. He'd keep her in his bed, naked, wild, his. Only his, he wouldn't share her, not with anyone, not with her idiotic ex-boy toy or any other guy who might want her. And most assuredly not with his baby brother, he would never share Elena, never share her with Stefan.

Damon felt so hot, his skin stretched so tightly he swore he would burst from the insane pressure building inside him. He wasn't quite sure where he was or how he got here, wherever the hell _here_ was. If he drove, he didn't remember it, and in the back of his mind he knew that should bother him, but for some reason he really didn't give a shit. All he cared about was finding Elena, and one he found her everything would be fine, everything would be normal. But for some reason he didn't understand, no one would tell him where he could find her. When he approached someone, anyone, they rushed away from him as if he carried the plague or something just as deadly. Silly, stupid people he thought, giggling just a little to himself; he couldn't be carrying the plague, there was no more plague, but what he was, or more accurately what he used to be was far more dangerous.

The thought made him want to laugh, and he would have if some one had detonated a canon inside his head. The noise was so loud he instinctively covered his ears with his head in a vain attempt to drown out the sound. It didn't work, actually it made everything worse as the room began to spin crazily, and people rushed to get away from him. He didn't care, none of them were Elena, and he only wanted her, he only wanted Elena.

"Oh my God," Elena exclaimed as she watched a very disheveled Damon Salvatore enter her store. He looked like death warmed over, his face pale and beaded with sweat as his chest heaved with his efforts to breathe. An effort she realized he was failing at.

"Isn't that the guy you kissed in front of the Grille, the one that sent Matt into a frenzy?" Bonnie asked as she joined Elena behind the counter.

"Yes," Elena answered. "That's most definitely him."

"He doesn't look so good," her friend noted. "Actually he looks like hell."

"That must have been one hell of a kiss," Caroline quipped as she joined her partners. "He looks like he can barely stand. If that's what your kisses do to a man Elena, its no wonder Matt doesn't want to let you go."

Elena decided it was time to intervene, but she didn't move fast enough as she saw him stumble into a display table, sending the items crashing to the floor. The cacophony was deafening as heavy cans and glass jars hit the wooden planks, and people rushed to get away from the deranged lunatic before he sent them tumbling to the ground. The pungent smell of olives, dates and spices filled the space as glass shattered, but Elena ignored it all as she rushed to a stumbling Damon hoping to keep him from being the next thing to crash to her floor.

The impact of his body into her's damn near drove them both down, but with the help of a very solid wall, Elena managed to keep them both upright. Well at least on their feet she amended as she carefully maneuvered Damon's large body to a resting position against one of the built in refrigerators. She used the smooth surface to slowly lower him to the floor. She went to step back, to grab a handful of designer towels to wipe his face, but he grabbed her arms, and pulled her back to him.

"Wait," he croaked. "I need to find her."

Elena looked up as Bonnie came to knell down beside her, thrusting several damp clothes into her hand. Caroline was busy taking care of the customers that were still in the store and informing others that they were closing early due to the spill of products across the floor.

"My God," Bonnie exclaimed when she touched his forehead. "He's burning up."

"I know," Elena said brushing the dark strands of hair that were plastered to his forehead. She quicklyr jumped up, barely avoiding his grasping hands, and ran to the massive kitchen island that had been built specifically for their store. She pulled a large metal bowl from under the counter, turned the water to cold, and dumped in the tray of ice that Caroline handed her.

"Should we call 911?" Caroline asked, grabbing the store phone as they hurried back to Bonnie and a now violently thrashing Damon.

"Yes," Elena all but screamed as she handed the bowl to Bonnie, and pushed against Damon's chest in an attempt to easy his thrashing.

"No! Katherine! NO!" The words were torn from his throat, and all three women paused, fear coalescing within them at the sheer terror in those three words.

She was scared, and if she was scared she had no clue how Damon must be feeling. Elena drew in a deep, fortifying breath, then grabbed a cool cloth from the bowl, rang it out, and began to gently wipe the sweat from his brow. She focused all of her attention on him, stroking his heated skin with cool damp cloths, and quietly talking to him, making him all kinds of promises if he just didn't die on the floor of her shop. Hell, she promised him the world if he didn't die at all, she still was quite done with kissing him yet.

She heard Caroline talking probably to the 911 operator, and Bonnie opening the door to the shop, but she pushed all of that to the back of her mind. She was totally ensnared by a pair of feverish, light blue eyes that were unfocused, staring at something only he could see. His agitation was evident, even to some one who had only know him for a handful of minutes, but it was obvious that there was something that bothered him, bothered him to the very depths of his soul.

"Katherine," he rasped grabbing her hand. "Promise me."

"Damon," she said as she gently stroked his cheek. "It's Elena. Oh hell, you probably have no clue who I am. I'm sure hordes of women throw themselves at you on a daily basis."

"Promise me you'll turn me back," he said fervently, his hold on her hand tightening to the point of pain. Elena tried to extract her hand, especially when she saw the paramedics rush into the store, but to no avail, he just wouldn't let her go.

"Please Damon," she cried out in pain. "You're hurting me."

"Damn it Katherine," he yelled. "Now is so not the time for you to have an attack of conscious; not when the wolves are literally at the door."

"Do you know him?" One of the paramedics asked her as they began grabbing equipment from their bags, and going to work on Damon.

"His name is Damon," she answered. "Damon Salvatore."

"Damon," the paramedic said. "Damon, my name is Bryan; can you tell me what has happened?"

"Klaus found us," Damon said, but Elena wasn't sure if Damon was talking Bryan the paramedic, or if he was still lost in his own world.

"BP is 90/60, pulse is 120," the other paramedic called out. Elena watched as the female paramedic began to swab Damon's arm to start a IV line.

"He's going into shock," Bryan said as he began cutting Damon's shirt. "Do you have any idea what happened to him?"

"No," Elena answered tears welling in her eyes. "I only met him a few days ago, I don't really know him, I have...OH MY GOD!"

"Promise me Katherine," Damon screamed as he pushed the female paramedic away from him, and transferred his brutal grip from Elena's hand to her arms. "If I do this for you, if I make this fucking sacrifice for YOU, if I make myself Klaus' target, you will TURN ME BACK! PROMISE, promise me in blood."

"Promise him," Bryan said to her. Elena couldn't hold back the tears as she the pain of his grip on her arms. He was squeezing her so tight, his hold so punishing she was certain her bones were going to snap. And as much pain as she was in, as much pain as he was causing her, she realized that her panic, her tears were all for him. She was so scared that she was losing him, so scared that she wouldn't get to know him, and in that moment she knew she would promise him anything, anything at all.

"I promise Damon," she said pressing her lips to his. "I promise to turn you back."

**Ok, please, please tell me what you think. Loved it, hated it, anything. All reviews are highly cherished :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Promise

**A/N: I'm really enjoying writing this story an that's why I am posting a second chapter in less than a week. The response to this story as been heart warming, and is fueling my desire to give you more. Thank you all for the reviews, and as always, if you have a moment let me know what you think. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 4: Promise

"_Promise me Katherine," Damon screamed as he pushed the female paramedic away from him, and transferred his brutal grip from Elena's hand to her arms. "If I do this for you, if I make this fucking sacrifice for YOU, if I make myself Klaus' target, you will TURN ME BACK! PROMISE, promise me in blood."_

_"Promise him," Bryan said to her. Elena couldn't hold back the tears as she the pain of his grip on her arms. He was squeezing her so tight, his hold so punishing she was certain her bones were going to snap. And as much pain as she was in, as much pain as he was causing her, she realized that her panic, her tears were all for him. She was so scared that she was losing him, so scared that she wouldn't get to know him, and in that moment she knew she would promise him anything, anything at all._

_"I promise Damon," she said pressing her lips to his. "I promise to turn you back."_

Elena had lost track of how many hours she had spent sitting in various waiting rooms, in various parts of The Mystic Falls Hospital hoping someone, anyone would tell her what was wrong with Damon Salvatore. After making him that crazy promise, the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance, and told her they would be taking him to closest emergency room. They pressed a cell phone they found on him into her hands, and told her, _"No they didn't know what was wrong with him, and no she couldn't ride with him to the hospital." _

She had wanted to scream at them as they tore away from the curb with screeching tires, lights flashing and sirens blaring. She had wanted to throw the damn cell phone they had given her after them, but before she could Bonnie, and Caroline had rushed out the sore, bundled her into her coat, rushed her to a car, and then followed the ambulance with their own screeching tires. That had only been a few hours ago, but to Elena it had felt like a whole lifetime had passed. A bright, shining life that was slipping from her grasp, and for reasons she didn't understand it scared her, it scared her to think she would never have that life with Damon Salvatore.

* * *

"Elena I presume?"

Elena jerked awake at the light touch to her hands, and a soothing female voice. She opened her eyes to see a petite, dark haired woman in pale green scrubs sitting in one of the hard plastic chairs across from her. She looked around in confusion not quite sure where she was, when the events of the last several hours slammed through her.

"Damon," she said jerking her gaze back to the woman across from her. "Is he alright? Do you know whats wrong with him? Can I see him?"

"Slow down a little," the doctor said as she smiled and continued to soothingly rub Elena's hands. "Is there anyone else here with you? Any other family members?"

"My friends are with me," Elena replied quietly. She regretted lying about the extent of her relationship with Damon, but she knew they wouldn'tdivulge any information to her unless she was a family member. So Damon Salvatore had inherited a fiance a few hours ago, and he'd be better damn well be happy about it.

"They went to grab some coffee, and something to eat," she explained. "I haven't been able to get in touch with anyone else, but I've left messages. What's wrong with him Dr...?"

"I'm sorry," the doctor with a little grin. "Dr. Fell, Meredith Fell."

"Dr. Fell, is Damon," Elena stopped as tears sprang to her eyes and she had to fight back a lump in throat. Damn it all to hell and back! She barely knew this man, and yet her overwhelming response to him made it feel as if she had known him her whole life. She felt as if he belonged to her, that she had every right to be here, and the right to be distraught because he was hurt.

"Is he going to be OK?" Elena finally managed to say as she looked at the young doctor.

The momentary look of sympathy on Meredith Fell's face was all the answer Elena needed. Something was really wrong with Damon Salvatore, and Dr. Fell didn't think he was going to live through it. Once again, Elena's eyes welled up with tears, and she didn't bother trying to hold back the sob that burst from her. She was barely aware of Bonnie and Caroline as they came back into the room, each of them taking one of her hands as they sat on either side of her.

"Mr. Salvatore's condition defies almost everything that I know, or was taught as a doctor," she said, her gaze never leaving Elena's face. "What we've discovered about him and the reason, actually reasons that he is so ill, is unusually. Hell let's be candid, its impossible."

"What is it?" Bonnie asked frightened more for her friend than the man who seemed to have gotten under her skin in less time it took for most people to order a latte.

"It's several things actually," Dr. Fell commented transferring her gaze to Bonnie. "First, Mr. Salvatore doesn't seem to have had any vaccinations of any sort, ever. And while that is not completely unheard of in some parts of the world, it is quite astonishing for some one living in this country."

"He's sick because he doesn't have any vaccinations?" Caroline asked perplexed. "I mean, wouldn't he have gotten sick long before now?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Dr. Fell replied. "But the lack of vaccinations is unusual, not what's wrong with him. That, that's more perplexing that anything else, more so than anything I've ever seen in my life. Mr. Salvatore, Damon seems to be a carrier for almost every communicable disease that has occurred within the last 100 to 150 years, at least the most common ones know to medical science. How long he's been a carrier, I can't say, but it seems that whatever was protecting him from actually getting sick, well to put it bluntly, it's not protecting him any longer."

"I'm sorry," Elena said a look of confusion marring her pretty face. "Are you saying he's dying from a cold."

"Well," Dr. Fell said hesitating. "Yes, that and several other things."

"How is that even possible?" Elena asked her voice rising a little in disbelief. "No one's ever died from a cold. Some men _act _as if they were going to die from a little cold, but no one ever has, have they?"

"Not directly," Dr. Fell said in agreement. "The rhino-virus, the common cold isn't going to cause his death, but the flu can especially one that killed millions of people between 1918-1919."

"I know the flu can be dangerous, but it's not 1918," Caroline stated.

"And that is why I, and my staff are so perplexed," Dr. Fell said. "He doesn't just have influenza, he has the specific virus that caused a world wide pandemic in 1918. It's commonly referred to as Spanish Flu, and this particular strain has not been seen since killed as many as 100 million people almost a hundred years ago."

"Dr. Fell," Elena interrupted. "You're telling us Damon Salvatore is dying from a strain of flu that he would have had to contract in 1918?"

"Yes," she replied simply.

"Damn," Caroline said.

"He looks fine, damn fine for a man well over 100 years old." Caroline shrugged sheepishly when the other three women turned to look at her in astonishment. "It's just an observation, but you have to admit; he does look good, or at least he did before all this happened."

"But him being alive then, and still alive now looking like a very young man, it's not possible," Elena said her attention shifting back to Dr. Fell.

"I would agree," Dr. Fell said. "And the Spanish Flu he is fighting is only one of a very long list of illnesses that are attacking his body. It's also why this hospital has been quarantined, and why you ladies are going to be staying with us, probably for a very long time."

"What?" Bonnie said as she stood up. "Wait; we can't leave?"

"No," Meredith said a look of resignation settling on her face. "You can't, I can't, any who has treated him here at the hospital, the paramedics who brought him in, and anyone he may have had contact with in the last two weeks needs to be notified to seek medical attention. Immediately."

"The CDC has been notified, and a team will be en-route to assess the situation," Meredith continued.

"Dr. Fell," Elena said as icy tendrils of fear began to seep throughout her. "We're talking about more than just the Spanish Flu here, aren't we?"

"Yes," the young doctor replied her voice heavy with resignation. "When the lab identified the smallpox virus in his system we knew we were out of our league. It's like some one loaded him up with all the really bad shit, and aimed him at a very unsuspecting world. Some of the things running around in his system are more than a little scary."

"He's not the only one in danger of dying, is he?" Bonnie asked in a very small voice.

"No he isn't," Meredith agreed. "I can give you a few minutes alone before we get you all settled. You'll want to make some phone calls, I'm sure. I know I do. Once the CDC gets here, I'm sure they'll cut our access to the outside world in hopes of keeping the situation contained as they try to figure this all out."

"Dr. Fell," Elena said as the doctor rose to leave the room. "Are any of us going to make it out of this alive?"

"Honesty?" Dr. Fell asked her tone hopeful despite the graveness of the situation. "We are going to need a miracle, and we are going to need it real soon."

* * *

Elena had moved to a corner chair, away from her friends in an attempt to give them some privacy, to give herself some privacy. She had called her brother, told him she was taking a long weekend to give herself some perspective where Matt was concerned. He had told her he understood, that he'd hold down the fort until she got back. When she told him she loved him he had chuckled, told her she getting a little to maudlin, and he would see her on Monday.

She had called Jenna, shot the breeze with her for a few minutes, caught her up on the day to day details of her life and the store. Elena had ended the call on a happy note, hoping her Aunt would cherish this last phone call between them as a good memory. She repeated almost the same conversation with her Uncle John, promised to call more often, and to have a good time on her mini vacation.

The phone call to Matt was difficult, and not just because he was her ex or that he still had deep feelings for her, but because she realized that she did love him. It just wasn't the kind of love she wanted, or needed to feel for the man who would go through life at her side. She wanted a burning, passionate, soul deep kind of love, and Matt just wasn't the man to give it to her.

Her last call was to Katherine. She had opened the phone that Bryan had given her. Damon's phone. She had stared at list of names for a very long time not knowing what or how to say it. How did you tell some one you never knew, would never know that a person in their life was gravely ill, and not expected to survive? Elena realized it didn't matter how she did it, just that she did. She was beyond grateful that no one actually answered, and that all she had to do was leave a message.

"You don't know who I am," she said. "My name is Elena Gilbert and we seem to have a friend in common, Damon Salvatore. I hate having to tell you that he is sick, very sick and the doctors here in Mystic Falls don't expect him to recover. I'm probably not suppose to tell you what's wrong with him, but I'm going to anyway. One of his doctor's, Dr. Fell told us that Damon had managed to get a strain of a flu virus that hasn't been seen since the pandemic in 1918."

"The staff here has also identified the possibility of small pox, as well as polio and God only knows what else. No one can explain how any of this is possible, just that he needs a miracle to beat this, we all do. I don't know if you'll be able to see, the whole hospital is under a quarantine, but at the very least you know where he is. Once again I am sorry to have had to convey this information to you."

"Is something like what this girl is claiming even possible?" Stefan asked looking at Katherine after having listened to Elena Gilbert's message for the fifth time.

"Damn it Stefan how would I know," Katherine said as she continued pacing like a caged tigress. "How would anyone know, it's not like you get handed an idiot's guide to being a new vampire, especially while running from the biggest, baddest monster out there. And not to mention the fact that no one's ever gone from being a vampire back to being human"

"So what, you're going to let him die?" Stefan queried, the desire to run to his brother's aid overwhelming.

"Damon dying is not an option, end of discussion," Katherine swore passionately.

"Why not Katherine?" He asked. "There are times when I truly believe you don't love him, don't care about him, or even like him for that matter. You could leave him human, he'd be dead within the next 48 hours and you could walk away from him, pretend like he never even existed."

"No," she said emphatically "I am not ready to lose him."

"Well that's at least something," he said running his fingers through his hair. "Let me go down there. I'll go to him, I'll fix this and bring him back with me."

"No Stefan, she replied. "You'd draw Klaus' attention, and the situation is already being handled. I will _not _let Damon die under any circumstances. Roman and Xavier are on their way, with very clear instructions. They'll make sure everyone is given a small amount of blood to eradicate the diseases, and keep a lid on the hospital until said blood is out of everyone systems, pack up and leave town. All nice and neat."

"You're not going to turn him back?" Stefan asked her. "Despite what you promised him, despite what he sacrificed for you, you're going to leave him human?"

"I promised him Stefan," Katherine said vehemently. "And yes, after what he did, what he sacrificed I owe him the fulfillment of that promise, but not until its been a year."

"What is so damned important about this one year thing?"

"If you knew, you'd probably want to kill me," she answered. "You'd probably try to kill me."

"Don't tempt me," he said as the iron grip he had on his control began to slip a little. "But _I promise_ you that if anything happens my brother, or he dies because of your unwillingness to fulfill your promise to him, I will do everything I can to deliver you to Klaus myself, dead or alive."

**A/N: Oh my! Seems Stefan is a little put out over Katherine dragging her feet to turn Damon. I wonder what that chick is up to. Hopefully she tell us soon. Let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Best Laid Plans

**A/N: I apologize now for the wait and the shortness of this chapter. People have been asking what so special about the one year thingy. I'm not telling yet, but I'd love to know what everyone thinks it might be. There's not a lot action in this chapter, but it's need to move the story forward. And as always, if you have a minute please leave a review and let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: The Best Laid Plans

_"No Stefan, she replied. "You'd draw Klaus' attention, and the situation is already being handled. I will ____not __let Damon die under any circumstances. Roman and Xavier are on their way, with very clear instructions. They'll make sure everyone is given a small amount of blood to eradicate the diseases, and keep a lid on the hospital until said blood is out of everyone systems, pack up and leave town. All nice and neat."_

"_You're not going to turn him back?" Stefan asked her. "Despite what you promised him, despite what he sacrificed for you, you're going to leave him human?"_

_"I promised him Stefan," Katherine said vehemently. "And yes, after what he did, what he sacrificed I owe him the fulfillment of that promise, but not until its been a year."_

_"What is so damned important about this one year thing?"_

_"If you knew, you'd probably want to kill me," she answered. "You'd probably try to kill me."_

Katherine's last conversation with Stefan played on a continuous loop through her thoughts as she stood, draped in shadows at the end of a hospital bed. Damon Salvatore's hospital bed to be exact. She wasn't sure what had compelled her to come all the way to Mystic Falls, what drove her desire, er need to see Damon. Her Damon, her dark knight, her sweet loving fallen angel. Whatever it was, it was strong because she hated this town, hated it so ferociously that the thought of burning it to the ground was more than a little appealing.

She watched as he shifted restlessly, occasionally murmuring words that held no meaning for her. She moved closer, slipped her hand into one of his, and waited. She knew that he would sense her presence, even through the drugs and diseases that were pouring through his body. He hadn't lost everything that vampirism had given him, well at least not all at once. The first things to go were his desire for blood, death by sunlight, and his ability to move with vampiric speed. He had still been faster, and stronger than the average human, but over the last few days he had begun to slow down, and his strength was reverting back to normal. His getting sick was something they had not foreseen, and it had scared the crap out of her.

Katherine gently brushed the damp curls off Damon's forehead. He was so hot, too damn hot, and she knew the only way to save him was with blood, her blood. She wouldn't turn him, at least not right now, but she damn well wasn't going to let him die. She hadn't lied to Stefan, she wasn't ready to let him go, not now, maybe not ever. And yet, she knew once he became aware of why she insisted on him being human for a year she wouldn't have to worry about losing him, he'd walk away from her, forever. Unfortunately, there were somethings that just couldn't be avoided, and this was one of those things, she'd just have to accept the consequences.

Using her superior strength, Katherine moved him over a little, just enough for her to curl up next to him, her head resting lightly on his chest, her hand splayed over his heart. She closed her eyes, and let the tears roll unchecked down her face. He could have died, he would have died had Elena not taken a chance, and called them. If he had been alone, she would have never made it to him in time.

"I must be really sick," Damon muttered. Katherine looked up to find his beautiful blue eyes open, and despite being on his death bed, sparkling with that special brand of Damon mischievousness.

"I mean for you to be here in bum-fucked Mystic Falls, and curled up in this bed with me, I have to be knocking on heaven's door."

"Heaven's door?" Katherine asked. "Really Damon, I'm sure that won't be the door you get to knock on."

"Hey," he said his voice filled with mock sincerity. "I was a sweetly innocent lad before you sunk you devious claws into me and turned me to the dark side."

"You were easy," she replied with a shrug. "All I had to say was, _"Come to the dark side, we have cookies."_ and I've been stuck with you ever since."

"Well looks like the _cure _will take care of that for you," he said as his eyes fluttered closed. "Some cure, that damn vial should have had a warning label on it. Something like drink this and die horribly, you'll be dead, but at least you'll die a human."

"Even on your death bed, you're full of sarcastic witticisms," she said reveling in his quirky sense of humor. "But don't you worry that pretty little head of yours, Xavier and Roman should be her shortly."

"Why?" Damon asked. "I'm no expert, but I'm sure if you don't do anything I'll be dead in a few hours, and you'll finally be rid of me."

"Now why would I want to be rid of you?" She asked. It was a tad unsettling that both of them thought she didn't want Damon around. That she would be happier if Damon was not only out of her life, but dead as well.

"You like everyone more than me," he answered in a voice that damn near broke her heart. He sounded like a lost little boy, scared, frightened, alone.

"Really?" Katherine asked stunned that he felt this way. What the hell had she done to make him feel like this? "You really believe that?"

"Um, yeah," he replied pulling her closer. Katherine smiled a little, he didn't realize he was already feeling better. "You even like Klaus more than you like me."

"That is not even remotely possible," Katherine replied with a good dose of indignation. "When it comes to Niklaus, I like every other person on this planet more. I like the devil more than Klaus."

"And all this time I thought Klaus was the devil," Damon said, his voice filled with mock sincerity.

"You do the devil a great disservice lumping him in with Klaus," she said with a huff.

"So despite the fact that I saved your life, and the fact that you at least like me more than Klaus, but less than the devil; you aren't here to turn me?" He asked his face impassive, but his blue eyes bright with the pain he was desperately trying to hide.

Katherine really wished she could end this, she hadn't realized that Damon felt like he didn't matter to her. She was beginning to think he believed he didn't matter to anyone, his brother included. The times he had been distance, or disappeared for years at a stretch should have been clues that something wasn't right. But she had let herself believe that it was just him, that it was what he wanted or needed to do. She realized now that it had nothing to do with him needing time and space to himself, instead it was so they couldn't see how badly he was hurting, how badly they were hurting him. And none of it, not the past 150 years running from psycho Klaus, or turning him into a vampire, or favoring Stefan more was anything compared to what she was doing to him right now.

"No, I'm not here to turn you," she answered. "But I want so badly..."

"No Katherine," he interrupted her. "I get it, you don't want me, and while that stings a little I understand. You don't feel for me what I feel for you, that sucks for me, but sometimes that's just how it is. Do I need to promise that once you turn me back I'll leave, you won't have to worry about seeing me again. Because if that's what I need to do then fine, I promise you that I'll go away, that I'll never "accidentally" run into you, that I'll never call or ask you for anything, and I'll cut my ties with Stefan."

"Damon, please," Katherine said, as she sat up to face him. "Please stop. I would never, will never ask you to cut Stefan out of your life. He's your brother, he needs you in his life as much as you need him in yours."

"Then why," Damon asked unable to keep the anger out of his voice. "Why won't you turn me, why are you so adamant about this one year thing? What's so God damned important?"

"Because you didn't want to be a vampire in the first place," Katherine replied as her anger levels began to rise to match Damon's.

"So this is what exactly?" He asked.

Katherine could tell that although he was rapidly getting better as he blood moved through him, he was still a long way from being completely out of the woods. She needed to wrap this up, and get the hell out of this damn town before she did something she'd later regret. She knew from experience that once her and Damon got started they would destroy everything, and everyone around them. Both of them possessed strong, determined personalities, and had it not been for Stefan they probably would have killed each other long before now.

"This is a chance for you to have a normal, human life," she replied, internally wincing as the lie passed her lips. She was already going to hell so what was one more little deception.

"Well if the last few weeks are any indication as to what a "normal" human life entails, then you can shove it where the sun don't shine," he told her belligerently. "There's not part of being human that appeals to me at all, not one damn thing."

"Not one thing?" Katherine asked. "Not being able to go out into sunlight and feel the warmth of it on your skin? Not being able to eat anything you want without thinking it taste like shit? Not having to run from that damn maniac, Klaus and his evil minions. Not one single thing?"

"I'd give up all of it in single heart beat," he said with complete sincerity.

"Are you sure about that?" She pressed, ready to play her ace, and hoping it would have the desired effect she had planned for.

"Not even your Elena?" Katherine asked.

"Damon, I thought..." Elena started, only to come up short when Katherine turned at the sound of her voice.

"Oh great," she said, tossing her hands into the air "Now I'm going to have to compel the damn twit, again. Damn doppelgangers, always making everything so damn difficult."


	6. Chapter 6: Family Is Forever

**It seems as if I must apologize with how long this chapter took to write and get posted. It started with writer's block and then another story demanded all my attention. But, finally here is. I'll warn you now that there is almost no interaction between Damon and Elena. This chapter centers quite a bit on Katherine. I hope you enjoy it and please, if you have a moment let me know what you think (I love reviews, and would do a lot to get one).**

Chapter 6: Family Is Forever

_"This is a chance for you to have a normal, human life," she replied, internally wincing as the lie passed her lips. She was already going to hell so what was one more little deception._

_"Well if the last few weeks are any indication as to what a "normal" human life entails, then you can shove it where the sun don't shine," he told her belligerently. _

_"Not one thing?" Katherine asked. "Not being able to go out into sunlight and feel the warmth of it on your skin? Not being able to eat anything you want without thinking it taste like shit? Not having to run from that damn maniac, Klaus and his evil minions. Not one single thing?"_

_"I'd give up all of it in single heart beat," he said with complete sincerity._

_"Are you sure about that?" She pressed, ready to play her ace, and hoping it would have the desired effect she had planned for._

_"Not even your Elena?" Katherine asked._

_"Damon, I thought..." Elena started, only to come up short when Katherine turned at the sound of her voice._

_"Oh great," she said, tossing her hands into the air "Now I'm going to have to compel the damn twit again. Damn doppelgangers, always making everything so damn difficult."_

"You compelled her?"

"Who are...Why do...?"

Katherine shook her head and sighed in frustration as Elena's shocked brain worked to puzzle out what was going on, and Damon's indignation over his "precious" Elena being compelled. She really did wonder at times why she bothered, her life would be so much easier if people just did what she wanted no questions asked. Well, at least she had been right in choosing Damon instead of Stephan for this particular endeavor. It appeared he had already grown deeply attached to the young Miss Elena Gilbert, his emotions plainly visible for any and all to see. It was exhilarating to finally have something go as she planned in this little war between her and Klaus.

"Of course I compelled her," she replied as her anger rose in response to his scathing look. "Hello, quarantined here, nobody in or out until the CDC lifts the ban. Couldn't have little miss sunshine here remember seeing me, but pesky dopplegangers can shake off compulsions faster than the average human. Its a part of the whole being a supernatural something or other, sometimesmembership has it privileges."

"I get the distinct feeling that I really don't want to know what is going on here," Elena said drawing their attention back to her.

"Elena," Damon said as he struggled into a sitting position. "This is Katherine, my um...my,"

"Cousin," Katherine finished for him. She almost burst into laughter at the look of horror on Damon's face. "What?"

"You know the saying, _"with friends like these, who needs enemies," _I'm sure they were talking about you when they coined it," he replied sourly.

"Would you prefer sister?" She asked him sweetly. "Or better yet, your wife?"

"What?!" You're married," Elena exclaimed turning to look at Damon in utter shock.

"Now look what you've done," Damon growled throwing Katherine a dirty look.

"Well, at least she's no longer fixated on the fact that our own mothers wouldn't be able to tell us apart," Katherine replied, her voice laced with amusement.

She wanted to laugh, but thought better of it. Seemed that Damon was a tad sensitive where Elena was concerned. She should be happy, or at the very least relieved that he had developed some very strong emotions for her doppleganger, but that didn't seem to be the case. Damon was _her_ dark angel, his absolute devotion a shield she often hid behind when she felt the world closing in on her. But he had never looked at her the way he was looking at Elena. It shouldn't hurt, it really shouldn't, but no matter what she tried to tell herself, it did. She had to leave before she did something she would later regret, and she already had a boat load of shit she regretted, she didn't need to add Damon to that list.

"Don't go getting your panties all in a twist," she said to Damon as she moved closer to her doppleganger. "She isn't going to remember any of this any way. You have to maintain a low profile here Damon, you can do anything to draw Klaus' attention to you."

"You could just turn me back," he said, and she could hear the fatigue in his voice. He was getting better, but she knew that even with her blood in his system it was going to take him a few days to completely bounce back.

"No Damon," she said wearily. "I can't."

"Yeah, that whole one year thing," he said. "I get it."

"Actually you don't, you don't get it that is," Katherine replied exhaustion and jealousy making her feel vulnerable, and when she felt vulnerable she got bitchy. And when she got bitchy, people got hurt. "I'll apologize now for any pain, discomfort or grief my actions may cause you."

"That doesn't sound good," Damon said as a feeling of foreboding shot down his spine. "Especially coming from you."

"Yeah, well it's past time for me to take off the kid gloves, and for you to put on your big boy pants," she glowered at him.

Katherine turned to Elena, and made eye contact, trapping the younger woman within her gaze. Damon couldn't hear what she was telling her doppleganger, but after a few brief moments he watched as Elena approach him and then slid into the space that Katherine had occupied no more than five minutes ago. He gave an inward sigh as she settled her smaller frame against his laying her head on his chest, right over his heart.

"Right now," Katherine said softly, drawing his eyes to her. "You are the only thing standing between her and certain death."

"Wait a minute, wait," Damon replied looking from the woman sleeping in his arms to the one standing at the foot of his hospital bed.

No one would ever be able to tell them apart simply by looking at them, you had to know them, to understand what drove them before you could see the minute differences that set them apart. He thought he and Stefan would have had an advantage, they'd been with Katherine off and on for over 150 years, and she had told them about Niklaus and the dopplegangers almost from the very beginning. What she hadn't told them, or anyone for that matter, was that she wasn't the last of the Petrova line. Looking at Elena, he realized that she was Katherine's best kept secret. And now she was trusting him with the task of what exactly?

"She's the reason you want me here for the next year?" He asked still trying to figure out what she was up to, and more specifically what she wanted from him.

"That's one way of looking at it," she nonchalantly replied. It was her casual indifference that let him know she was holding something back, something big.

"How am I suppose to protect her?" He asked sarcastically. "I can't even fight off a simple cold."

"You protect her," she said with a small smile at his continued persistence. "I'll protect you."

"And what am I suppose to protect her from?"

"Not what," she said turning serious. "But who. Sleep now my fallen angel. Xavier and Roman are here, you'll be safe for awhile."

Damon looked at Katherine, really looked at her, and maybe it was the drugs, or the fact that he was fighting for his life, but he would swear she looked tired. No, no that wasn't quite right, it wasn't tiredness he was picking up from her, it was, it was a sense of vulnerability. He could see it clearly now, she was scared, she was absolutely terrified. But who, who had the power to make Katherine Pierce so damn scared?

Katherine stood wrapped in shadows and silence outside of Damon's hospital room, and watched as he drifted off to sleep with Elena wrapped securely in his arms. She felt a brief stab of jealousy, acknowledged it for what is was, and then pushed it away. She loved Damon, maybe not as much as Stefan, but enough to mourn the ending of their relationship. And she and no doubt that once this was over their relationship would lay in pieces, like so much confetti.

She had to get out of here, had to leave while she still could. She had lost so much to Niklaus already, her dreams, her family, her friends. Everything she touched, every life she touched was destroyed by him, and his obsessive desire to punish her for defying him. He had put an enormous price on her head, and let it be known that any who helped her, in any way would die, horribly. And so many had, both humans and vampires alike. His plan to get her within in his grasp would have worked had it not been for one simple little thing, himself. Klaus was so tyrannical and unmerciful, people grew to not only to fear him, but to hate him as well. Those people, those vampires, witches and werewolves became her allies, her friends, her family. His destruction had become their one burning desire.

They organized themselves into a vast network that stretched across every continent in the world, save Antarctica. Klaus had inadvertently created them, and their ultimate goal was to bring down the Original vampire. It was almost an insurmountable task, but it drove them and they needed it. Survival hadn't been enough to keep them going, but the idea of working together, to finding a way to destroy Niklaus Michaelson gave them what they needed.

Unfortunately, they would have to abandon the secret vault of scrolls and books they had been hunting for in the Arizona desert, and lead Klaus away from Damon, but more importantly, away from Elena. Roman and Xavier posing as head of the CDC team would keep them safe and compel everyone to forget the man who had been dying from the Spanish Flu, among other things.

"Trust you to stash Damon in the one place on this planet that Niklaus wouldn't be caught dead in."

Katherine came to an abrupt stop when a casually dressed Elijah stepped into her path. Elijah dressed in his customary suit and tie was devastatingly handsome, but Elijah in black jeans and chest hugging black tee shirt along with a black leather duster was like hot, carnal sex on two legs. She gritted her teeth, and briefly closed her eyes in a silent plea for strength. She was damn well going to need it with _this_ version of Elijah standing within touching distance. Just breathing in his scent was causing her heart to hammer and her pulse to sky rocket. Another couple of minutes of standing here with him, and she would do anything for the opportunity to touch him.

"Yeah, well I guess that's one thing Klaus and I have in common; we both hate Mystic Falls with a passion, and neither of us would be sad to see it burned to the ground," she replied as his presence continued to wreak havoc with her equilibrium.

"And yet," he said, his gaze lazily moving down the length of her body. "Here you are."

She was going to die. His perusal of her made her heart beat faster, and it had already been galloping like a run away freight train. She had to remember that she hated him, almost as much as she hated his brother. She couldn't allow herself to forget that when it came to Elijah, his family no matter how corrupt, no matter how evil always came first. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes, and no matter what it cost her, she couldn't let him find out about Elena.

"And I see you are still his ever loyal lap dog," she replied her voice filling with venom.

"Do not confuse me with the sycophants that surround my brother simply to curry his favor," Elijah said. "If I remember correctly, _you _use to be one of them."

"I was never one of them," she spat, the hurt and anger she felt at his betrayal rising to the surface. "I was the stupid lamb following you to her slaughter. What does he hold over you that makes you so loyal?"

"He is my brother," Elijah said to her. "Even through my hatred of his selfish intentions, I love him. Even when he conspires to manipulate and bend others to his will no matter how nefarious, it is my obligation to protect him. To put it simply, he is family, always and forever."

"Well maybe some of us would be able to empathize with how you feel," Katherine replied not even trying to mask the hurt and pain his words caused. "If _your _brother hadn't killed every member of their families simply because he couldn't get what he wanted. Talk about throwing a temper tantrum."

"Katerina," Elijah said his voice laced with exasperation. "You're being churlish, and vindictive..."

"_I'm_ being vindictive?" She damn near shouted. "If this is me being vindictive, I can't wait to hear how you describe your brother's behavior for the last 500 hundred years."

The emotional turmoil she felt when in Elijah's presence always left here feeling vulnerable and unsettled. She should, and at times did hate him as much as she hated Klaus, but there was always something about him that kept her from loathing him completely. It was something she never allowed herself to fully examine, because if she did she knew it would destroy her, and she had fought way to hard to survive running from his psychopath of a brother to simply lay herself at his feet.

"Your brother wanted to kill me," she growled, her voice low and vicious. "Not because of something I had done to him, but because of something he wanted, something some one else had denied him. I just happened to be the _thing _he needed to unlock it, and all it required was my death as he drank every drop of blood from my body. And you accuse me of being churlish?"

"How about we move on to vindictive, because really, Klaus is the one who taught me what vindictive really means," she snarled stepping into Elijah's personal space. "Stupid girl thwarts his plans to become a blood sucking werewolf, so lets kill every single member of her family to teach her a lesson. That may not be enough, after all she is such a stupid creature. Lets put a price on her head so large that no one, and I do mean no one will offer her aid, leaving her totally alone in the world."

"And you know the worse part, the part that tears at me, the part that has left a gaping hole in my heart? You knew. You knew what he was, you knew what he wanted and you still delivered me to him all wrapped up like a shiny present. _"Oh brother, look what I've gotten you for your birthday this year. So hard to come up with a good gift after several hundred birthdays, but this one should delight you beyond all the others combined."_

"Stop Katerina, I beg you, please stop," Elijah said as her words battered against his already tattered soul. He drew in a deep breath and allowed the scent that was Katerina Petrova to flood his senses.

"Why should I stop Elijah?" She asked taking one more step into his space. "Has it been so long since you heard the truth..."

"What would you know of the truth Katerina?" Elijah asked refusing to step back. "You well knew what you were getting when you chose Niklaus."

"Chose Klaus?" She asked her voice hinting at bewilderment.

"Don't pretend to not know what I am referring to," he said.

"I don't know what you are..."

"Don't you dare pretend ignorance," he cut her off, his voice deadly quiet. Before she could react to the menace in his voice, he reached out and hauled her flushed against him. "We both know that you choose Niklaus over me. Your greedy little soul wanted what he offered, and to hell with anything or anyone else."

"You think I chose Klaus over you?" She asked incredulously.

"I know you did," he answered her. "And he reminded me of it every chance he got."

"You sanctimonious, self sacrificing bastard," she yelled. "I never _chose _Klaus, and I damn well never chose him over _you_. I never knew you were an option, why would I considering you game me to him as a gift."

"Are you saying..."

"Yes," she said cutting him off. "I'm saying you would have been my choice. You would always be the one I wanted."

"Why?" He asked,

"Because you stupid, morally ethical vampire," she said with a grin. "I've loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you."

**Well damn! Didn't see this coming! Let me know what you think and whether or not this was a good read! **


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